Manually propelled vehicle



Nov. 28, 1933. J. M. PORTER MANUALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE Filed Nov. 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wm Q Nov. 28, 1933. J. M. PQRTER MANUALLY PROPELLED VEHICLE Filed Nov. 8, 1932 2 SheetsSheet 2 WU UFF J M Z3726?" 30; also used to apply brakes 22 which hang loosely the brakes, by merely rocking the feet upon the Patented Nov. 28, 1933 i I i UNITE-DQSTATES PATENT; :QFEECFE 1,937,245 i w w lVIANUALI)Y. PR PELLED VEHICLE:

John M. Porter, Columbus ,v Ohio I Application November 8 1932, ,QSer ial No.16 4 1,77 7

ol ims rcl. 208-32) I V The invention. aims to provide a simple, inext e ba 26 and.28,1the p connects a pensive and light vehicle which may. be easily body with the center of the bar 28, and rollers 31 propelled with hand cranks or, the like, i and are .mounted'upon said body to contact with the steered with-the feet, and said :vehicle may not lower-side of. the bar-26'... Preferably, a spring 32 '5 only be used forpleasure, but is well adapted'for is associated withthe pivot 17, to assist in ab- 60 other uses by persons whose legs are abnormal sorbing-roadshocks. This pivot, itwill be bi one way 0 th r I I served, is somewhatbehind the common axis of Fig. 1 is a top planviewg i N f' the axles 11, so that the weights of the body and Fig. 2 is a side elevation partlybroken away. the userthereon tend somewhat to rearwardly .Figs. 3 and4 are detail sectional views i011 lines tilt t front frame holding its real" bar '2 65 3.3 and4 4 'of Fig.1. upon the rollers 31. The frame 14 is thus pre- The vehicle is provided with two front wheels vented; from continually oscillating vertically 10 having short axles 11,-. and two rear wheels 12 about the axles 11, and the, rollers 31 assistinhaving short axles '13, all 'of-said wheels being permitting easysteering when the entire frame preferably conventional bicycle wheels; and said 14 must be turned about the pivot 17. g I 7 axles beingconventional bicycle wheel axles. A I The supports 19 for the feet, preferably exfront horizontal 'frame'le iscarried by the. front tend horizontally and transversely behind the wheels 10and as'simila'rframe 15* is carried; by, wheels 10, and each of these supports is provided the rear wheels 12; and a longitudinal body 16 is with two hangers 33 and a brace 34:, said hangers 20. secured to. the rear frame'15 and is pivoted at being bolted or otherwise secured to the bar 26- 75 1'? to the front frame. 14; Thisbodyis provided while the braces are secured to the outer longi with a seat 18 and the frame-l4 is equipped with. tudinalbars 23.- The brakes '22 are hinged at supports 19 for the users feet, so that. steering to the bar 26 and are providedwith rearwardly may be readily effected. Hand cranks 21' are projecting foot-engaging actuators 22 located mounted in front of and above theseat 18; and between the hangers 33 and spaced upwardly 8 driving connections'are' provided-between these from the foot-supports 19. These actuators are cranks and one of the rear wheels 12. The veslightlyjn advahceof the normal positions of hicle may thus be'eas'ily propelled by hand and the anterior portions of theoperatfiris feet and steered by means of the feet,'.and the feet are they may therefore be forwardly pushedto apply behind the front wheels 10, slightly in advance foot rests 19, without the necessity of removing A of the foot supports 19, it being only necessary the feet from their steering positions.

to forwardly tilt the feet to apply the brakes. The rear frame 16 includes outer and inner Then too, if desired, aconventional coaster brake longitudinal bars 23 and 2 disposed at the :35; hub or the like may be included somewhere in outer and inner sides of the wheels 12 and centhe driving connections between the cranks 21 trally mounted by means of brackets 30 upon and'the driven" wheel 12, for effecting braking the rear axles 13. Two superposediront bars power when said cranks are reversely turned. 3 25 and two superposed rear bars 26 'are posi- The front frame 14 includes outer and inner tioned respectively in front of and behind the so; longitudinal bars 23 and 24 located at the outer rear wheels 12 and are secured to the ends of all and inner sides respectively of the wheels 10. of the bars 23 and 24 The body 16 is of flat Front and rear transv bars 25 and 26, form, extends between the bars 25 and 26 and called in from? of and behind the Wheels 10 is secured to these bars by bolts or the like 35.

spectively, are Secured the ends of an f e An intermediate transverse bar 28 is secured I longitudinal bars 2 and by botts or the like at its ends to-the inner longitudinal bars 24*199 A thud and Somewhat p g i and'may well constitute the rear wall of a lugbar 28 extenfls between t 6 Inner Ongl u gage-carrying box 36 which'is secured upon the bars 24 and is secured to the latter by bolts or bad 16 Th; b d .1311 d the like 29, the longitudinalcenter of said bar 0X 15 6 Y 28 being offset somewhat behind the axes of the T 37 a t seat 18 Whlch nolmany overhes 105 wheel axles By means of their conventional sa d box, is hinged at 38, so that when the cover nuts, these axles are secured to L-shaped brack- 37 Is to be P t reused, of ets 30 carried by the lower sides ofthe longituthe T1115 Seat provlded Wlth Supportlng djnal bars 23 and 4 Y springs 39 which normally rest upon the top The front portion of the body 16 extends under of the box, not only yieldably supporting the-1 1i) users weight, but holding the cover 37 against rattling.

Between the front and rear frames 14 and 15, the body 16 carries an upstanding housing 40. A transverse shaft 41 carrying the cranks 21, extends across the upper portion of this housing and is provided with a sprocket wheel 42 over which a sprocket chain 43 is trained. This sprocket chain is engaged with another sprocket 44 on a short transverse shaft 45 carrying still a third sprocket 46. A longitudinal sprocket chain 47 engages this sprocket 46 and another sprocket 48 on a transverse shaft 49 which extends through the front portion of the box 36. One end of shaft 49 is provided with a sprocket '50 connected by a sprocket chain 51 with a sprocket 52 on one of the rear wheels 12. By

only driving one of these rear wheels, the neces sary differential movement thereof when rounding curves may take place. I prefer to dispose a headlight supporting bar 53 above the bar 28 of the front frame 14. Supports for this bar 53 are shown at 54, and the headlights are shown at 55. These headlights may be supplied with current from a battery within a suitable container 56 which may well be mounted on the housing 40.

I claim: w

'1. In a vehicle, front wheels, a front frame mounted on said wheels and having horizontal portions extending transversely behind said Wheels, a body pivoted at its front end to said frame and having a seat, wheeled supporting means for the rear end of said body, supports for the users feet extending transversely behind said front wheels for steering, and hangers carrying said supports and secured to said frame. w

2. In 'a vehicle, front wheels, a front frame mounted "on said wheels and having horizontal transverse frame portions behind said front wheels, a body pivoted at its front end to said frame and having a seat, wheeled supporting means for the rear end of said body, supports for the users feet extending transversely behind said front wheels for-steering, means mounting said supports fixedly on said frame below said horizontal transverse frame portions, and brake members hinged to and depending from said horizontal transverse frame portions in position to be pressed by the feet against the front wheels.

3. In a vehicle, a pair of laterally spaced front wheels having short axles, a front frame comprising longitudinal bars at the outer and inner sides of said wheels and supported between their ends upon said short axles, front and rear bars in front of and behind said wheels respectively and each secured to all'of said longitudinal bars, and a third transverse'bar between said front and rear transverse bars and secured at its ends to said inner longitudinal bars; a longitudinal body whose front end is pivoted to said third transverse bar, and wheeled supporting means for the rear end of said body.

. 4. In a vehicle, a pair of laterally spaced front wheels having short axles, a front frame comprising longitudinal bars at the outer and inner sides of said wheels and supported between their ends on the ends of said axles, front and rear transverse bars in front of and behind said wheels respectively and each secured to all of said longitudinal bars, and a third transverse bar between said front and rear transverse bars and secured to .the innermost of said longitudinal bars; two laterally spaced rear wheels having short axles, a rear frame comprising longitudinal bars at the inner and outer sides of said rear wheels and supported between their ends on the axles thereof, and front and rear transverse bars in front of and behind saidrear Wheelsrespectively and each secured to all of saidlongitudinal bars of the rear frame; and a longitudinal body secured to said front -and rear transverse bars of said rear frame, said third transverse. bar

of the front frame being pivoted to said body. 5. In a foot-steered vehicle having transverse,

foot rests upon which the operator constantly holds his feet to. direct the course .of.v the vehicle; brake actuators adjacent said foot rests, said brake actuators being slightly in advance of the normal positions of the anterior :portions of the operators feet; whereby said. actuators may be forwardly pushed by merely rocking the feet upon said foot rests, without .the necessity 'of removing the feet from said rests.

JOHN M. PORTER. 

